The Ex (2007 film)

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The Ex

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jesse Peretz
Produced by Anthony Bregman
Marc Butan
Anne Carey
Ted Hope
Written by David Guion
Michael Handelman
Starring Zach Braff
Amanda Peet
Jason Bateman
Charles Grodin
Mia Farrow
Donal Logue
Amy Poehler
Amy Adams
Fred Armisen
Music by Ed Shearmur
Cinematography Tom Richmond
Editing by Tricia Cooke
Distributed by The Weinstein Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) May 11, 2007
Country United States
Language English
Official website
IMDb profile

The Ex is a 2007 comedy film directed by Jesse Peretz and starring Zach Braff, Amanda Peet and Jason Bateman. The film had a wide release planned for January 19, 2007, and then March 9, 2007. It was originally promoted under the working title Fast Track. It was released on May 11, 2007. Co-stars include Charles Grodin, Donal Logue and Mia Farrow.

Contents

[edit] Plot

In Manhattan, Sofia is an attorney, and Tom is a cook who has a hard time holding a job. When their first child is born, they agree that she'll be a full-time mom and he'll get a promotion. When he gets fired, he takes a job in Ohio working at the ad agency where her father is assistant director. Tom's assigned to report to Chip, a competitive, hard-driving guy who's in a wheelchair and who's Sofia's ex-boyfriend - from high school. Chip still carries a torch for her, so he connives to make Tom's work life miserable. As Tom's frustrations mount, it may be that Sofia will take Chip's side. Is Tom doomed to fail yet again, and lose his wife to Chip?

[edit] Cast

[edit] Reception

As of September 1, 2007 on Rotten Tomatoes, 20% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 92 reviews (18 "fresh", 74 "rotten).[1] On Metacritic, the film was listed under its previous title Fast Track and had no average score because only 2 reviews had been tabulated.[2]

Several film critics said the film felt truncated.[3][4] Lou Lumenick of the New York Post said the film "seems arbitrarily edited to squeeze in extra screenings before it's killed by word-of-mouth."[5] Film critics also felt that the majority of the cast was wasted.[6][4][7][8] Many film critics also compared the film to a sitcom.[9][10][11] Pam Grady of Reel.com said the film "never rises above the level of a TV show grotesquely inflated for the big screen." "[12]

Jesse Peretz was criticized for his direction by many critics.[7][13][14][15] Phoebe Flowers of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said the film was "directed with a breathtaking lack of instinct by Jesse Peretz."[16] A few critics described the film as half-baked.[17] Sean Means of The Salt Lake Tribune said "It's like undercooked lasagna: lots of layers, but the flavors never blend."[14] Bill Muller of The Arizona Republic said the film was Zach Braff's most average movie so far.[18] Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer said that after The Last Kiss and Garden State, "Braff's shtick...is getting tired."[15] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post said the film "marks an all-time low for actor Zach Braff -- his Gigli, if you will.."[19]

Zach Braff and Jason Bateman were praised for their performances by several critics.[20][21] Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel said "Braff and Bateman make this patchwork just funny enough to be worth our trouble."[9] Jason Bateman was praised by several film critics as being the best part of the movie.[17][6] David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews said "there's little doubt that Bateman deserves the lion's share of praise thanks to his scene-stealing work as Tom's hilariously smug nemesis."[22]

[edit] Box office performance

The film opened at #12 at the U.S. box office, earning $1.39 million in 1,009 theaters in its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $3,092,904 in its nine-week theatrical run in the United States.[23]

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Ex - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-09-01
  2. ^ Fast Track (2006): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-09-01
  3. ^ Steve Davis (2007-05-18). The Ex. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  4. ^ a b Christy Lemire. 'The Ex' Falls Flat. MSN Movies via Associated Press. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  5. ^ Lou Lumenick (2007-05-11). WEINSTEIN FLICK EX-CRUCIATING. New York Post. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  6. ^ a b Michael Rechtshaffen (2007-05-11). Bottom Line: Jason Bateman's a blast, but this slack comedy's a bust.. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  7. ^ a b Jeff Vice (2007-05-11). The Ex. Deseret Morning News. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  8. ^ Nathan Rabin (2007-05-11). The Ex. AV Club. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  9. ^ a b Roger Moore (2007-05-11). 'Ex,' why, Z:Braff breaks no comedy ground. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  10. ^ Pete Hammond. The Ex Movie Review and Rating. Maxim. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  11. ^ Rick Groen (2007-05-11). The Ex. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  12. ^ Pam Grady. The Ex (2006). Reel.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  13. ^ Michael Phillips (2007-05-11). Movie review: 'The Ex'. Chicago Tribune at Metromix.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  14. ^ a b Sean Means. The Ex. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  15. ^ a b Steven Rea (2007-05-11). Workplace comedy about as funny as...work. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  16. ^ Phoebe Flowers (2007-05-11). Save yourself heartache and skip this relationship. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  17. ^ a b Tom Beer (May 17, 2007 - May 23, 2007). The Ex. Time Out New York. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  18. ^ Bill Muller (2007-05-11). The Ex. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  19. ^ Desson Thomson (2007-05-11). The Ex. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  20. ^ Bill Zwecker (2007-05-11). 'Ex' marks the spot for fish-out-of-water humor. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  21. ^ Caroline Kepnes. The Ex. E! Online. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  22. ^ David Nusair (2007-05-09). Two Comedies from The Weinstein Company. Reel Film Reviews. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  23. ^ The Ex (2007) - Weekend Box Office. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-09-01

[edit] External links